Leap of Faith by Queen Noor

I read Queen Noor's memoir at my mom's recommendation in preparation for our trip to Israel and it was really fascinating! Born as an American, Queen Noor grew up in California and DC. Her dad was head of the FAA and president of PanAm, so she got to travel a lot. She was one of the first women admitted to Brown University in the 1960s and then worked in Iran as a community planner. In her early twenties, she met King Hussein of Jordan and he pursued her. Just like a fairy tale, they fell in love and got married and she became Queen of Jordan. Her memoir weaves history and personal events - meeting dignataries from all over, having kids, adjusting to royal life, her efforts to improve Jordan. For example, it was partly due to Queen Noor's efforts that Steven Spielberg chose to film part of Indiana Jones in Petra! How cool is that?

I also appreciated learning about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from her point of view as an American married to the head of an Arab state. So interesting! Plus, who doesn't love the story of an ordinary girl marrying a king for love? If you have any interest in the Middle East, I highly recommend this book because Queen Noor's story is fascinating.

Read: June/July 2011

Disclaimer: I listened to this on CD and it took me about a month. I have no idea how long the actual book is, but it's worth it.